Russia shortlists An-26 replacement platform

The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has settled on two potential replacement platforms for its ageing Antonov An-26 'Curl' transport aircraft, state media disclosed on 24 June.

Deputy Defence Minister Yury Borisov said the air force will adopt either the Antonov An-140 or Ilyushin Il-112 twin-turboprops to replace the Soviet-era An-26 over the coming years, RIA Novosti reported.

According to the minister, no timetable has yet been decided upon, and the MoD is currently weighing up its options.

In June 2012 IHS Jane's reported that the then new Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Major General Victor Bondarev, was looking to replace the An-26 as part of a wider move to modernise much of the air force's outdated inventory.

The An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop aircraft designed and produced in the USSR from 1969 to 1985.

The An-140-100 was developed by Russia's Antonov design bureau as a replacement for the An-24 and An-26 series aircraft. It can carry up to six metric tons of cargo to a range of over 2,000 kilometers, and can be used for patrol, military transport and special-ops missions.


Source: Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly & Moscow, RIA Novosti News - 24 June 2013

Photo: The Russian Air Force Antonov An-26 'Curl' Transport Aircraft. c/n 0505 (Photo by russavia)


(24.06.2013)